Mt Difficulty back at peak performance
Mt Difficulty, who was looking at possible retirement only a couple of months ago, has bounced back with two wins and a second in his last four starts.
Named after the excellent pinot noir, his career looked like it was running into difficulty when he lost form at the start of the season. However a patient approach by trainer Lisa Latta’s South Island foreman, Michelle Carston, has seen him renew his vigour for racing.
He won on the 3rd of February at Motukarara with Kylie Williams in the saddle, then ran second at Ashburton for Chris Johnson on the 14th of March, before winning again on the 5th of April at Riccarton for the same jockey. All his wins have been over 1200 metres.
Says Lisa, “Mt Difficulty must have a good or just dead track to perform and has a devastating finish when held up for one run. It’s great to see him back at his best.”
He will step up in grade and ambition in his next two races when he competes in a Rating 85 1200 metres worth $30,000 on the 3rd of May at Riccarton and then in the $50,000 Dunstan Sprint Final at Trentham on the 24th of May, which he is qualified for.
Mt Difficulty is a half-brother to the very promising Thorn Pass who raced in this year’s New Zealand Derby and is related to other Go Racing horses Mighty Solomon and the great Silky Red Boxer.